Translation(s): none

DebianOn is an effort to document how to install, configure and use Debian on some specific hardware. Therefore potential buyers would know if that hardware is supported and owners would know how get the best out of that hardware.

The purpose is not to duplicate the Debian Official Documentation, but to document how to install Debian on some specific hardware.

If you need help to get Debian running on your hardware, please have a look at our user support channels where you may find specific channels (mailing list, IRC channel) dedicated to certain types of hardware.

Models covered
Kobol Helios64

Overall Status

Core Components

[ATTACH]

Boot Standard Kernel:

{OK}

LAN:

{OK} + {X}

Detect hard drives:

{X}

Secure boot:

[n/a]

Extra Features

CPU Frequency Scaling

{OK}

Hibernation

[?]

Sleep / Suspend

[?]

Graphics

{X}

Keyboard's Hotkeys

[?]

Legend :
{OK} = OK ; {X} Unsupported(No Driver) ; /!\ = Error (Couldn't get it working); [?] Unknown, Not Test ; [-] Not-applicable
{i} = Configuration Required; X-( = Only works with a non-free driver and or firmware

Important Note

{X} Work in progress. Currently the installer crashes :-\

I start the daily installer using the following commands in the vendor U-Boot: 

setenv tftpserverip 192.168.77.175

setenv fdt_addr     0x2000000
setenv kernel_addr  0x3000000
setenv ramdisk_addr 0x8000000

dhcp $kernel_addr $tftpserverip:debianinst-arm64-20200914/linux
dhcp $fdt_addr $tftpserverip:oftree-helios64.dtb
dhcp $ramdisk_addr $tftpserverip:debianinst-arm64-20200914/initrd.gz
setenv bootargs console=ttyS2,1500000
booti $kernel_addr $ramdisk_addr:$filesize $fdt_addr

Graphics hardware uses USB-C which doesn't have a mainline kernel driver (yet).

The machine has two network ports, the 1 Gbit port works fine, for the 2.5 Gbit port is supported by 5.10 kernel (but it has known hardware defect - see Links section, thus works only somewhat).

Minimum version of Debian kernel that is required to boot is 5.9.0-3-arm64, as it's the first one that provides board dtb. As of Debian kernel 5.10.13, Debian's provided dtb lack PCI-X bus (Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics Co., Ltd RK3399 PCI Express Root Port), thus on-board SATA controller is unusable. In essence, the booted system lacks access to both SATA drives and M.2 drive.

Replacing dtb allows the board to detect PCI-X controller, but uncovers another issue - PCI-X bus initialization fails, and to workaround that one needs a kernel patch currently not included in Debian kernel.

CPU frequency scaling can lead to kernel panics (both powersave and performance governor workaround this somehow). Disabling GPU frequency scaling (/sys/devices/platform/ff9a0000.gpu/devfreq/ff9a0000.gpu) somehow improves stability too.

Configuration

Power Management

System Summary

lsusb

lsusb -v 2>/dev/null | grep -E '\<(Bus|iProduct|bDeviceClass|bDeviceProtocol)' 

Bus 002 Device 003: ID 0bda:8156 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. 
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 2109:0815 VIA Labs, Inc. 
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 2109:2815 VIA Labs, Inc. 
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

USB Host controllers entries (without OHCI, UHCI, EHCI) are removed too.

lspci

lspci 

00:00.0 PCI bridge: Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics Co., Ltd RK3399 PCI Express Root Port
01:00.0 SATA controller: JMicron Technology Corp. Device 0585

Resources

Attachments

Other reports

Credits

?CategoryEmbeddedComputer